Posts Tagged ‘Nude’

KUALA LUMPUR – MALAYSIAN authorities are investigating claims that an island in the Muslim-majority country was used as a location shoot for a ‘nude run’ on a European reality show, a report said on Saturday.

Photographs of a group of men and women running naked on a beach allegedly taken from an episode of Survivor Robinson Ekspeditionen, reportedly broadcast in Denmark, were published on the front page of a Malaysian tabloid.

According to the tabloid, 16 out of the 22 participants stripped naked for the run while five others got to keep their underwear on. A female participant who refused to strip was kicked out of the show.

‘I have to first determine what happened because various allegations have been made. I have asked all the parties responsible to forward their evidence,’ communications and culture minister Rais Yatim told English daily the Star.

He added that Malaysian’s film production guidelines prohibit obscenity or overexposure of the body parts. — AFP

IT was summer in Sweden when the Singaporean student met the Swede at a Stockholm university.

ALL COVERED UP: Eng Kai Er blocked photographers’ view with an umbrella at court yesterday. She was also wearing a pair of sunglasses, a mask and a baseball cap. –PICTURE: LIANHE WANBAO

They started talking about whether it was okay to walk around nude in Singapore, and even joked that it would be ‘funny’ to do it.

That was in July last year. Six months later, the Swede, Jan Philip, 21, and the Singaporean student, Eng Kai Er, 24, did exactly what they had joked about.

But appearing nude in public is illegal in Singapore. For that, the couple were fined $2,000 each yesterday after they pleaded guilty to the offence.

On 24 Jan, Philip, a Swedish exchange student in Singapore, and Eng walked through Holland Village without their clothes on.

In court, it was revealed how the pair had met at the Karolinska Institutet, one of Europe’s largest medical universities, where Eng, an A*Star scholar, was a student.

The temperature was about 22 to 23 degrees Celsius, considered hot in Sweden.

Philip, who was topless, asked Eng if it was okay to walk around topless in Singapore, and she said it was.

Philip then asked her if public nudity was acceptable in Singapore. Public nudity is not illegal in Sweden.

Eng did not take his question seriously and they both joked that it would be funny to walk around naked in Singapore.

In the pair’s mitigation plea, Philip said that before he came to Singapore, he had checked the Internet to see if it was an offence to walk nude in here.

He said that he read the Penal Code but did not see anything inside that said nudity was illegal.

On 24 Jan, he and Eng were at a pub in Holland Village. Philip had one beer while Eng had two. Then he suggested walking through Holland Village nude.

According to previous media reports, they took off their clothes at a nearby staircase at about 11pm, then walked down Lorong Mambong, clothes in hand, smiling and waving at patrons in the area’s eateries.

Seemingly oblivious to the stares they were attracting, the couple made a U-turn and walked the same path back to the staircase.

Midway through their walk, they even stopped for a brief chat with patrons of the Wala Wala bar. They did not attempt to hide their faces as the cheering and applauding crowd took their pictures.

The incident lasted about 15 minutes, before they returned to the staircase and got dressed.

The couple was arrested when the police received a call from a member of the public.

It was revealed in court documents that a 43-year-old man walking his dog had alerted the police.

After their arrest, Philip and Eng claimed they pulled the stint to ‘seek thrill’.

Eng, who has been studying overseas for about seven years, is a 2007 A*Star National Science scholar (NSS). She is studying for her PhD in infection biology at Karolinska.

Eng is also a member of Mensa, an association whose members are defined by their high IQ, and a former student of Hwa Chong Institution (College).

She received the NSS scholarship after a four-month attachment with A*Star’s Youth Research Programme in 2003.

In her teenage years, she represented Singapore as a competitive ice skater in Skate Asia, the largest ice-skating competition outside the US.

Yesterday, photojournalists and camera crew converged on the duo, who were dressed in formal black suits, as they emerged from a car outside the Subordinate Courts. They used umbrellas to shield their faces.

As they waited outside the courtroom, both looked relaxed as they joked and laughed with each other.

Mr Daniel Blockert, from the Swedish Embassy here, was also present. He told The New Paper that the embassy has been giving moral support to Philip.

The couple’s families were not present, but their lawyer, Mr William Chan, said that Eng’s parents are standing byher.

Mr Chan told the court that Philip and Eng never intended to commit any offence in Singapore. They thought appearing nude in public was not illegal and they regretted their actions.

He urged the court to take into consideration that the crowd at Holland Village on a late Saturday night consisted mainly of adults and foreigners.

‘They did not do anything but to walk in a graceful and dignified manner. They did not make rude gestures, or say anything obscene or offensive,’ he added.

He also noted that news reports showed that the crowd at Holland Village were ‘appreciative’, clapping and cheering for the duo.

Community work

Mr Chan also said that Eng, being a scholar at a top medical university, has the opportunity to contribute substantially in the area of anti-viral vaccines. He added that she had been involved in community projects to help the less fortunate.

For instance, she helped hand out safe-sex materials to male travellers bound for the Riau Islands from June 2006 to September 2007.

When asked, Mr Chan declined to confirm if Philip and Eng are dating.

He added that they are relieved that the case is over and plan to return to Sweden as soon as possible to get on with their lives.

Will Eng lose her scholarship?

An A*Star spokesman told The New Paper: ‘Naturally, we are disappointed that one of our scholars is guilty of an offence. A*Star will now review the matter with Kai Er and decide on the appropriate course of action.’

Philip and Eng could have been fined up to $2,000 and/or jailed for up to three months.

Nudism in Singapore
Swede Jan Philip and Singapore A*Star scholar Eng Kai Er strolled around Holland Village in the nude on one January night.

They will appear in court again on April 30 to answer to the charges under the Miscellaneous Offences (Public Order and Nuisance) Act.

I wonder sometimes, why is nudism wrong?

How does nudism offend someone else? Or rather, why is it considered offensive when a person sees the naked body of another person?

Nudism is non-sexual in most cases, so we are not talking about public sexual intercourse or other sexual acts, both of which have been given the “private” label of “sexual intimacy”.

Yes, it is taboo even in most nudist communities for a man to walk around with an erection. But why are erections wrong or offensive? In what way do they offend the observer?

And again, in what way is it morally wrong for the two persons to be nude in the public? Imagine a 6-year old kid asking you this, “What did they do wrong?” How do we explain to the child, other than saying, “It’s just wrong!” or “God said so!”

What is it in us that causes us to feel offended when we see nude people? How do we rationalise?

I think if I were to see a nude couple, I will probably be surprised and laugh, rather than feel revolted.

I think a lot of meanings have been ascribed to nudism, and in the end, resulted in stereotypes and myths dominating the issue/phenomenon.

Some say nudists or people who walk around in the buff, are perverts. The thing is, what is it about our minds, and our social conditioning and beliefs that have led us to rationalising and labelling them as perverts?

Onto shame. Do we feel more shame than the nudists folk, that we want to make them feel shameful about it as well?

I believe exhibitionism exists because of voyeurs, but most voyeurs prefer to be recognised as morally righteous.

Let’s use the “think about the children” argument. In what way is nudism harmful to kids? Does it make children ask more questions and challenge our existing systems of beliefs, and see whether we are able to explain and justify each and every tenet? How can we prove that nudism is inherently wrong (on its own)?

I think that we are socialised into a world that strictly separates private and public. And to maintain this distinction, there are social and legal sanctions to regulate our behaviour. We use shame and fines/imprisonment to regulate. This naturalises nudism to be inherently immoral and wrong. So people, who are well-socialised, will be able to “naturally” develop the “correct” reactions towards nudism in different domains of life, private and public.

What is it about religion, pop culture, capitalism, patriarchy, etc. that makes us have an unfavourable view of nudism?

For more than two months after they pulled their stunt, their identities were not known to the public.

But yesterday, a couple was charged in court over the alleged stunt.

Jan Philip, 21, a Swedish exchange student, and Singaporean Eng Kai Er, 24, a student at a Swedish university, are accused of appearing nude in public at Holland Village at about 11pm on 24 Jan this year.

If convicted, the pair can be fined up to $2,000 and/or jailed for up to three months.

Checks done by The New Paper revealed that Eng is a 2007 A*Star National Science scholar (NSS) studying for her PhD in infection biology at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden.

Karolinska Institutet is one of Europe’s largest medical universities.

Eng is also a former student of Hwa Chong Institution (College) and received the NSS scholarship after a four-month attachment with A*Star’s Youth Research Programme in 2003.

In court yesterday, Eng and Philip were dressed in formal black suits.

Appeared intimate

Shin Min Daily News reported that the couple appeared intimate as they sat outside the courtroom before their turn to appear before the judge.

Philip, at about 1.8m, is about a head taller than Eng.

The two were represented by the same lawyer, Mr William Chan.

Philip was offered bail of $5,000, and had his passport impounded. As Eng is a Singaporean, she did not need to post bail.

It is understood that Eng agreed to be Philip’s bail guarantor.

According to media reports then, eyewitnesses saw a couple – an Asian woman and her Caucasian male friend who looked to be in their 20s – taking off their clothes at a nearby staircase.

They then walked down Lorong Mambong, clothes in hand, smiling and waving at patrons in the area’s eateries.

Seemingly oblivious to the stares they were attracting, the couple made a U-turn and walked the same path back to the staircase.

Midway through their walk, they even stopped for a brief chat with patrons of the Wala Wala bar.

They did not attempt to hide their faces as the cheering and applauding crowd took their pictures.

The incident lasted about 15 minutes, before they returned to the staircase and got dressed.

They were arrested later.

The antics of the ‘naked couple’, as they are now known in cyberspace, created a buzz.

Swedish furniture retail giant Ikea put out a series of advertisements for its home furnishing sale in February.

In it, a Caucasian man and an Asian woman, closely resembling the profiles of the couple caught in pictures and videos, are seen standing, with only Ikea boxes covering them.

The models in the advertisement were wearing only flip flops, just like the Holland Village couple. It appeared in newspapers here.

In a short ad video, the same models are seen walking through a shopping centre, with only the Ikea boxes to cover up their nakedness.

SINGAPORE: She is a PhD scholar with A*STAR, the Agency for Science, Technology and Research, who is studying at the Karolinksa Institute in Sweden, and he, a Swedish student on an exchange programme.

The young couple who caused a stir when they walked down Holland Village in the buff on January 24, were charged in court on Thursday with appearing nude in public.

Jan Philip, a 21-year-old Swede, and 24-year-old Eng Kai Er, a Singaporean, remained silent when they appeared before District Judge Shaiffudin Saruwan.

It is not known why it took so long before the duo was hauled before the judge. However, their long-awaited court date went by quickly after their lawyer, Mr William Chan, asked for an adjournment to write in to the Attorney-General’s Chambers.

TODAY understands that by writing in, the lawyer would be appealing for the charges to be withdrawn and the accused be let off with a warning. The lawyer could also make an appeal to have the charges reduced.

If convicted under the Miscellaneous Offences (Public Order and Nuisance) Act, the couple could be fined up to $2,000 and/or jailed up to three months each.

Mr Philip was offered bail of $5,000 and had his passport impounded. Eng did not need to post bail as she is a Singaporean.

A National Science Scholar, Ms Eng is listed on the A*STAR website as pursuing a PhD in infection biology. The National Science Scholarship (PhD) prepares scholars for key leadership roles in Singapore’s science and technology future.

When contacted, a spokesperson for A*STAR told TODAY the Agency is concerned that the woman charged in court for the offence is an A*STAR scholar. And she added: “However, as the matter is now before the courts, we would prefer not to make any further comment until the case is resolved.”

In her teens, Ms Eng was a competitive ice skater who got to represent Singapore in Skate Asia, the largest ice-skating competition outside the United States. She was also a member of Mensa, an association whose members are defined by their high IQs.

Her father Mr Eng Weng Kiong told TODAY his daughter is a nice and lovely girl, and the family is standing by her.

During their 15-minute stroll down the popular hangout in January, the couple were said to have walked hand-in-hand and waved to patrons of the eateries along Lorong Mambong. They were also said to have stopped at a bar and chatted with its patrons.

Pictures of their jaunt were later posted on the Internet by a member of the public.The pair were arrested shortly after, but were released on bail. They will appear in court again on April 30. – TODAY

THE couple accused of sauntering leisurely through a bustling Holland Village in the nude were yesterday too bashful to show their faces.Swede Jan Philip, 21, and Singaporean Eng Kai Er, 24, donned caps and sunglasses before running to a waiting Honda after they were charged in a magistrate’s court yesterday with the offence, which took place around 11pm on Jan 24.

With the help of friends and umbrellas, the two were shielded from the lens of Straits Times photographer Terence Tan.

Eng, a petite woman with short hair, had gone into court wearing a black jacket, white shirt and black skirt but came out in a black T-shirt and dark-coloured bermudas.

The slim and tall Philip, wearing glasses, followed swiftly after.

Here on an exchange programme at the National University of Singapore, he was clad in a full suit when he appeared together with Eng before District Judge Shaiffudin Saruwan.

Philip wore a slight smile on his face after the charge had been read to him by an interpreter. Eng, an A*Star (Agency for Science, Technology and Research) scholarship holder pursuing a biomedical science course at Karolinska Institutet, Sweden, was straight-faced.

The offence of appearing nude in a public place carries a fine of up to $2,000 or a jail term of up to three months or both.

Their lawyer, Mr William Chan, asked for an adjournment to make representations.

Philip, is out on $5,000 bail, and his passport has been impounded. Eng was not required to post bail.

A COUPLE who caused a stir by strolling down naked along Lorong Mambong earlier this year were charged in court on Thursday.Jan Philip, 21, a Swedish student on exchange programme, and Eng Kai Er, 24, a university student in Sweden, are accused of appearing nude in public at Holland Village at about 11pm on Jan 24.

Both were clad in black suits when they appeared before District Judge Shaiffudin Saruwan.

Their lawyer, Mr William Chan, asked for an adjournment to write in to the Attorney-General’s Chambers.

If convicted, both may be fined up to $2,000 and/or jailed for up to three months.

As Philip is a foreigner, he was offered bail of $5,000 but Eng, a Singaporean, need not post bail. Philip’s passport was impounded.